In January 2021, the band posted a music challenge. Many of the messages in their music are similar to other music that has come from TikTok: female empowerment, sexual liberation, and mild misandry. At first, their brightly coloured hair and pop-punk aesthetic seemed to gain them a following. In November 2020, TRAMP STAMPS popped up on TikTok, posting covers of Blink-182 songs, and claiming to be the result of “3 drunk girls at a bar” writing songs together. They decide what’s worth listening to: they are the ones who buy merchandise, go to concerts and log the hours on Spotify listening to a band’s music. Teenage girls, as many of us know, are a hugely influential force in popular culture. Having clearly seen the success of independent musicians on the platform, it is unsurprising that labels have started to create industry plants to exploit TikTok’s cultural power. It’s become a well-known fact that TikTok drives what’s in the charts. Many girl-power anthems, such as Abigail Barlow’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and even ‘Driver’s License’ by Olivia Rodrigo, started on the platform. Many singers and songwriters have found success on TikTok by posting their music on the platform. TRAMP STAMPS’ marketing team has clearly been working overtime, slapping Manic Panic hair dye on three women and recycling outdated starter pack memes to profit from an increasingly prominent section of TikTok. But, the arrival of TRAMP STAMPS also highlights how easy it is to fall prey to targeted marketing. This has raised privacy concerns in the past. TikTok has become a hub for alternative culture – its sophisticated algorithm sorts users into groups based on your age, gender identity and what it perceives to be your interests and personality traits. However, they are already established songwriters. All three women claim that TRAMP STAMPS is a plucky band of alternative girls with ‘daddy issues’ and ‘religious trauma’. Two of the band’s members are affiliated with Dr Luke, while Blue has been actively producing music for years. Not only are the lyrics to their songs concerning, but they are, according to prominent TikTokers, a blatant industry plant. The #trampstamps hashtag on TikTok has gained thousands of videos that dive deep into their Instagrams, poke fun at their website, and recommend bands that don’t try to patent phrases like “Make Tampons Free”. Lead singer Marisa Maino, drummer Paige Blue and guitarist Caroline Baker, have since been accused of being an industry plant. Earlier this year, new band TRAMP STAMPS dropped their new single ‘I’d Rather Die’ to a supposedly receptive audience on TikTok.
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